Guided by Franciscan values and the ideal of “knowledge joined with love,” and rooted in the Catholic and liberal arts traditions, Alvernia is a rigorous, caring, and inclusive learning community committed to academic excellence and to being and fostering:

• Broadly educated, life-long learners;
• Reflective professionals and engaged citizens;
• And ethical leaders with moral courage.

Alverno College is dedicated to the education of women. Your personal and professional development is our central focus. We extend our mission of service and strengthen our ties to the community by offering graduate programs to both women and men. Our success is not measured in awards and recognitions. It’s measured by changing the world, one student at a time. Every aspect of the College is focused on engaging you, the student. From our curriculum and campus life to our faculty, President’s Office and Board of Trustees, our mission is to prepare you to be successful in all aspects of your life. Four major areas serve as our guide to prepare you to realize a future of personal and professional promise:

• Creating a Curriculum: Our curriculum was designed by our faculty for the sole purpose of meeting the educational goals of our students through a philosophy and a program of education. The curriculum is ability-based and focused on student outcomes integrated in a liberal arts approach. It is rooted in Catholic tradition and designed to foster leadership and service in the community. It is flexible, to accommodate your educational goals with your diverse responsibilities. It is affordable, to accommodate your economic circumstances.
• Creating a Community of Learning: Your personal and professional development requires an environment of expectations for all – faculty, staff and students. We have built a community of learning, in which all functions of the College support our students in meeting explicit expectations. Alverno faculty, staff and students are committed to stating and achieving goals for the benefit of the community in which they serve.
• Creating Ties to the Community: As part of our mission, we continue to develop and foster relationships with businesses, non-profit organizations and professionals in various industries. These relationships help us understand and meet the needs of a changing workplace, effectively preparing you to not only enter a career, but to become a leader.
• Creating Relationships with Higher Education: The ever-changing nature of higher education demands innovation, development and flexibility. It is the mission of our faculty and staff to be dedicated to the development of undergraduate education and to seek and be receptive to the evaluation of teaching methods and scholarly and research activities.

Briar Cliff University is a community committed to higher education within a liberal arts and Catholic perspective. In the Franciscan tradition of service, caring and openness to all, Briar Cliff emphasizes quality education for its students, combining a broad intellectual background with career development. The University challenges its members to grow in self-awareness and in their relationships to others and to God.

Felician is an independent co-educational Catholic/Franciscan College founded and sponsored by the Felician Sisters to educate a diverse population of students within the framework of a liberal arts tradition. Its mission is to provide a full complement of learning experiences, reinforced with strong academic and student development programs designed to bring students to their highest potential and prepare them to meet the challenges of the new century with informed minds and understanding hearts. The enduring purpose of Felician College is to promote a love for learning, a desire for God, self knowledge, service to others, and respect for all creation.

The mission of Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady University is to educate and form Franciscan servant leaders of all faiths. We honor and preserve the legacy of our founders by preparing highly skilled professionals, integrated thinkers, and faith-filled citizens. Inspired by the Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady to be a living witness to Jesus Christ and the Gospel message, the University is in communion with the teachings of the Catholic Church.

The mission of the school is to prepare candidates for professional ministry in the Roman Catholic Church, for careers in theological education, and to provide opportunities for enhancing knowledge of Christian faith and the practice of ministry. We achieve our mission through:

• Classroom lectures, seminars, and guided readings
• Workshops that enable students to communicate more effectively and conduct themselves professionally
• Methodologies for social analysis and theological reflection
• Supervised field education
• Faculty advising to help students plan and choose programs and courses, and reflect on their academic progress
• Support for faculty scholarship and professional development, research and publication
• Access to the GTU’s combined course offerings
• Access to both the GTU Flora Lamson Hewlett Library, one of the most comprehensive theological libraries in the United States, and to the libraries of the University of California, Berkeley
• Daily and weekly prayer
• Spiritual formation through formal programs, retreats, faith sharing groups and spiritual direction
• Opportunities for ecumenical exchange
• Social justice activities
• Recreational and social activities

The purpose of Franciscan University is to further the higher education of men and women through programs of liberal, professional, and pre-professional studies leading to the conferral of the baccalaureate and master degrees in the arts and sciences. It is the further purpose of the University, publicly identified as a Catholic and a Franciscan institution, to promote the moral, spiritual, and religious values of its students. The University is guided by the example and teaching of St. Francis of Assisi. To accomplish this mission, the University embraces the following general policies:

• Intellectual and Faith Community: The specific vocation of a student is intellectual development.
• Evangelization: Through academic and co-curricular programs, the University promotes the ongoing and deepening of life in the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Church.
• Dynamic Orthodoxy: The University has embraced this concept as a policy standard for its life, thereby striving to promote and maintain a balanced commitment to truth and life in its faith community.
• Christian Maturity: The University recognizes that its ultimate purpose is to graduate men and women who are able to take a mature, responsible approach to life.
• Good Stewardship: The University recognizes that its greatest resources are its people and pledges to treat each person with dignity and respect. These five general policies are the basis for many specific policies, including:
• Academic: The University is a teaching institution, which values research primarily for advancing the scholarship of the faculty. The University requires some specific courses and some balanced selection of courses to promote liberal arts education and the importance of theological studies and basic philosophy. The University also promotes responsible academic freedom which includes observance of the 1940 AAUP statement.
• Student Life: The University desires all its programs to be guided by the law of love. Specifically, the University welcomes entertainment and recreational activities that upbuild the lives of those involved; promotes participation in physical health programs and athletic activities; promotes personal and spiritual development, particularly through faith households; provides, within its means, counseling and other support services as appropriate; supports Christian morality and respect for life; embraces a Catholic worldview; encourages service off campus to the poor as an essential part of a student’s educational experience. Finally, the University commits itself to this mission believing that it is promoting a normal, mature, Franciscan, Catholic, Christian way of life for its students. It believes that its norms for both academic and co-curricular development are rooted in long and proven tradition and are as relevant today as they were in times past. The University commits itself to ongoing prayer so that it may be humble before the face of God and receptive to those graces and blessings it needs to serve this mission.

Hilbert College is an independent institution of higher learning that embraces its Catholic Franciscan heritage and values. Students from diverse backgrounds are educated in liberal arts and professional programs to become informed citizens committed to serving and strengthening their communities.

Lourdes College, rooted in Catholic and Franciscan traditions, provides a values-centered education that enriches lives and advances academic excellence through the integration of the liberal arts and professional studies. In support of this mission Lourdes College:

• Nurtures a diverse community that supports students in fulfilling their potential.
• Commits to the engagement of faith and reason, inspired by our Catholic and Franciscan intellectual traditions.
• Provides a holistic, student-centered education, rooted in the liberal arts that prepares individuals for meaningful careers and lifelong learning.
• Fosters personal integrity, ethical understanding, social responsibility, care for all of creation, and a commitment to community service.

The mission of Madonna University, a Catholic and Franciscan institution, is to instill in its students Christian humanistic values, intellectual inquiry, a respect for diversity, and a commitment to serving others through a liberal arts education integrated with career preparation, based on the truths and principles recognized within a Catholic tradition. Heritage and Values Founded by the Felician Sisters of Livonia in 1937, Madonna University is one of the largest Catholic Franciscan independent universities in the country. Through undergraduate, graduate, and continuing professional study, Madonna University provides men and women with opportunities for intellectual, spiritual and personal growth. Intellectual, Personal and Spiritual Growth The University as a whole is dedicated to the pursuit of intellectual creativity and the cultivation of lifelong learning. With the enduring values of a liberal arts education, which establishes a foundation for developing powers of critical thinking and decision making, students are prepared to respond in an educated way to life’s challenges. Madonna students understand and apply Christian principles to personal, family and social life by assuming responsibility for decisions based on moral values. Finding service opportunities in the community is one of the ways to explore and express personal convictions. With a strong set of values creating a center in the lives of our students, they find it easier to reach out to others, committing themselves fully to their education. While maintaining fidelity to the teaching authority of the Catholic Church through its academic curriculum and support activities, Madonna University promotes an appreciation and openness for other religious traditions and encourages an atmosphere of respect and sensitivity to all persons. Exploring convictions about faith and the role values play in one’s life is an important part of the Madonna University experience for all students.

Marian University is a Catholic university dedicated to excellent teaching and learning in the Franciscan and liberal arts traditions.

Neumann University educates a diverse community of learners based upon the belief that knowledge is a gift to be shared in the service of others and that learning is a lifelong process.

Quincy University stands as a Catholic, independent, liberal arts institution of higher learning in the Franciscan tradition. Inspired by the spirit of Francis and Clare of Assisi, we respect each person as a sister or brother with dignity, value, and worth. We work for justice, peace and the integrity of creation. We prepare men and women for leadership and for the transformation of the world by educating them to seek knowledge that leads to wisdom. We welcome and invite all to share our spirit and life.

A Mind for Excellence: Saint Francis University offers higher education in an environment guided by Catholic values and teachings, and inspired by the example of our patron, Saint Francis of Assisi. The oldest Franciscan institution of higher learning in the United States, Saint Francis University is an inclusive learning community that welcomes all people. A Spirit for Peace and Justice: University programs and activities foster such Franciscan values as a humble and generous attitude toward learning, respect for diversity and the uniqueness of individual persons, understanding of ethical issues, and reverence for all life. With a spirit of simplicity and joy, we provide opportunities for the University community to think critically and analytically, communicate effectively, and integrate theory and practice. A Heart for Service: Saint Francis University offers undergraduate programs in the liberal arts tradition, graduate and professional programs of study that emphasize personal and professional ethics, and continuing education opportunities for personal and career enhancement. We seek to inspire in all members of the University community a love of lifelong learning and a commitment to share their gifts and skills generously with others in a rapidly changing world.

Siena College is a learning community advancing the ideals of a liberal arts education, rooted in its identity as a Franciscan and Catholic institution. As a learning community, Siena is committed to a student-centered education emphasizing dynamic faculty-student interaction. Through a blending of liberal arts and professional education, Siena College provides experiences and courses of study instilling the values and knowledge to lead a compassionate, reflective, and productive life of service and leadership. As a liberal arts college, Siena fosters the rigorous intellectual development of its students through a healthy exchange of ideas both inside and outside the classroom. It provides opportunities to develop critical and creative thinking; to make reasoned and informed judgments; to appreciate cultural diversity; to deepen aesthetic sensibility and to enhance written and oral communication skills. It develops in each individual an appreciation for the richness of exploring knowledge from a variety of perspectives and disciplines. As a Franciscan community, Siena strives to embody the vision and values of St. Francis of Assisi: faith in a personal and provident God, reverence for all creation, affirmation of the unique worth of each person, delight in diversity, appreciation for beauty, service with the poor and marginalized, a community where members work together in friendship and respect, and commitment to building a world that is more just, peaceable, and humane. As a Catholic college, Siena seeks to advance not only the intellectual growth of its students, but their spiritual, religious and ethical formation as well. To this end, Siena is composed of and in dialogue with people from different religious and cultural traditions; fosters a critical appreciation of the Catholic intellectual heritage in conversation with contemporary experience; provides ample opportunities for worship and service; explores the moral dimensions of decision-making in business and the professions; and affirms the dignity of the individual while pursuing the common good.

Silver Lake College is a dynamic learning community that empowers students through a quality liberal arts education integrated with professional preparation offered in an environment of mutual respect and concern for persons, based on the principles and truths of Franciscan Catholic tradition.

Founded in 1858, St. Bonaventure is a Catholic university dedicated to educational excellence in the Franciscan tradition. We are committed to the constant pursuit of distinction in our undergraduate and graduate programs, our innovative liberal arts core and all of our courses of study. At St. Bonaventure University, we come to know our students on an individual basis and become their mentors. We strive to bring out the best in every individual. As an academic and spiritual community, we endeavor to prepare our students for the challenges they will face in their professional careers as well as in their personal lives. True to our Franciscan heritage, we encourage students to manifest our values through lives of citizenship and service.

St. Francis College is an inclusive and diverse institution of higher education rooted in a commitment to academic excellence, compassionate hospitality, and ethical leadership.  Inspired by St. Francis and St. Clare of Assisi, and founded by the Franciscan Brothers of Brooklyn, the college prepares students to serve and thrive in a global community and help shape a just society.

St. John’s College educates nurses and health professionals for innovative proactive excellence and values-based leadership.

Rooted in the Catholic and Franciscan Traditions of Faith and Reason, the University of Saint Francis engages a diverse community in learning, leadership and service.

As a Catholic university rooted in the liberal arts, we are a welcoming community of learners challenged by Franciscan values and charism, engaged in a continuous pursuit of knowledge, faith, wisdom, and justice, and ever mindful of a tradition that emphasizes reverence for creation, compassion and peacemaking. We strive for academic excellence in all programs, preparing women and men to contribute to the world through service and leadership.

Villa Maria College, founded by the Felician Sisters, provides students a rigorous and enriching educational experience. Offering academic programs with a broad core curriculum, the College transforms and empowers students to realize their intellectual, creative, professional, and spiritual potential. Inspired by a welcoming Catholic tradition and a dynamic Franciscan spirit, Villa Maria College offers individual attention and fosters compassion, justice, peace, respect for human dignity and a commitment to service.

The Viterbo University community prepares students for faithful service and ethical leadership.